Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], February 6: England batter Joe Root faced a disappointing return to One Day Internationals (ODIs) in the first match of the series against India in Nagpur on Thursday, continuing his poor run against India’s premier spinner, Ravindra Jadeja.
Root, who came to the crease after England lost Phil Salt, could only manage a brief 31-ball stay. Despite a solid partnership with skipper Jos Buttler, Root found it difficult to score against the Indian spinners. His only boundary came against Kuldeep Yadav, and he was eventually trapped leg-before wicket by Jadeja, breaking a 44-run stand between the two.
Root’s struggles against Jadeja have been well-documented. In 10 ODI innings against the left-arm spinner, Root has scored just 133 runs off 115 balls and has been dismissed four times. His average against Jadeja stands at 28.75, with a strike rate of 86.46.
Once a regular in England’s ODI setup, Root’s performances have dipped in recent years. Since 2020, he has featured in 29 ODIs, scoring 685 runs in 26 innings at an average of 28.54, with six half-centuries. His best score in this period is 86. These recent struggles have seen his career ODI average drop from 51.36 at the end of 2019 to 47.39. In 172 matches, Root has scored 6,541 runs with 16 centuries and 39 fifties, with his best score being 133*.
In the ongoing match, England won the toss and chose to bat first. This ODI series comes after India’s dominant 4-1 victory in the T20I series, and both teams will now turn their focus to the ODIs as they fine-tune their lineups for the upcoming Champions Trophy.
India introduced debutants Yashasvi Jaiswal and Harshit Rana before the toss, while the squad saw some changes. Virat Kohli, sidelined with a knee issue, and Rishabh Pant, missing from the playing XI, were notable absentees, with KL Rahul taking the wicketkeeper role in Pant’s absence.
For England, the most notable change was the inclusion of Joe Root, replacing Jamie Overton in the playing XI. England’s squad included: Ben Duckett, Phil Salt, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (C), Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, and Saqib Mahmood.
India’s XI featured: Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Harshit Rana, Kuldeep Yadav, and Mohammed Shami.